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William Sherlock Scott Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is the world's only "consulting detective", a profession he created for himself. He is shown to have a keen interest in unusual or bizarre crimes, without which he rapidly becomes bored, relying on nicotine to keep his brain "active," though it has been hinted that he has dabbled in drugs for entertainment in the past. Holmes is a thinker and an observer; his notable ability to notice and draw deductions from seemingly trivial details is unrivalled and his main tool for solving the crimes he investigates. However, his unusual and somewhat anti-social personality has led to many in the official police force distrusting and disliking him. Sherlock claims to be a "high-functioning sociopath." However, statements from Jim Moriarty, Sherlock's own actions and character development suggest that this is not quite true. A Study In Pink and Meeting Dr. John Watson Sherlock is first introduced when he is experimenting on bodies with Molly Hooper at the Morgue. He shows no emotion towards the deceased unlike Molly, who states that he was nice. He then proceeds to beat the corpse with a riding crop in order to see what bruises form. Afterwards, Molly nervously asks him out for coffee, but he misses the romantic intent of her question and simply gives her an order before leaving the lab. Mike Stamford then brings Dr. John Watson to St. Bartholomew's Hospital with the knowledge that both were in need of a flatmate. Sherlock shows interest in John right away, deducing that he had recently been invalided home from war and that he had an alcoholic brother named Harry. Later on, when explaining his process of deduction, John would correct Sherlock by stating that "Harry is short for Harriet." Shortly after meeting at 221B Baker Street, the two decide to move in together. The land lady, Mrs. Hudson, offers the flat at a discounted rate because of Sherlock helping her get her husband executed. It's also revealed that Sherlock is not good at taking care of himself, often getting Mrs. Hudson to clean and bring him food, despite her arguments that she is "not his house keeper." Shortly after, DI Greg Lestrade arrives at Baker street and asks the detective to come to a crime scene. Sherlock is calm and collected until the Inspector leaves, when he jumps in the air with excitement, stating "it's Christmas!" before running out the door. He returns a few seconds later, asking John whether he's seen trouble in his time as an army doctor. When John replies that he has, Sherlock asks, "Want to see some more?" to which John replies, "God yes!" and the two leave for the crime scene together. While on their way to the crime scene, Sherlock explains how he earlier deduced personal information about John from small details about his appearance and personality, including that his limp is psychosomatic. John remarks that Sherlock is brilliant, and Sherlock appears visibly shocked and confused for a few moments before replying that people usually just tell him to piss off. When they arrive at the crime scene, Sherlock insults two police officers Anderson and DS Sally Donovan, publicly announcing that the two are sleeping together behind Anderson's wife's back. Both show obvious dislike and even hatred toward the detective. It is interesting to note that Sherlock introduced Sally as an "Old friend" to John while he openly despises Anderson to a much more intense degree. The crime is the fourth in a series of "serial suicides", in which people are being found dead after taking poisonous pills for seemingly no reason. However, unlike the first three, this victim, a woman dressed entirely in pink, has left a note; she carved RACHE into the wooden floorboards with her fingernails. Sherlock deduces that the woman died before finishing the word, which means she was trying to carve the name RACHEL. Sherlock deduces that the woman is a serial adulterer with an unhappy marriage. Sherlock finds splashes of mud on the woman's leg, thrown up by the wheel of a suitcase, and deduces that she is from out of town. The police found no suitcase on the premises, but Sherlock searches for it, later finding it in a nearby skip. He then texts John to come and send a text for him at Baker Street, luring him with the words "Could be dangerous." After convincing John that the killer has the phone the two lie in wait for him at a cafe owned by a friend of Sherlock's named Angelo. However even after running all over the area after a cab which stopped suspiciously the lead is revealed to be a dead end and the two return home. After laughing about the escapade they go upstairs to find DI Lestrade searching Sherlock's things for drugs. At first, John argues that there is no way Sherlock is a junkie, but Sherlock quiets him, confirming that the idea is not so far from the truth. After much yelling and arguing Sherlock realizes that RACHEL is the passcode for the victims phone. She had known she was going to die and have slipped her phone to the killer, then given them to password to use the online tracker to find him. However when they enter the password the computer tells them the phone is in the flat. At first Sherlock is confused but then realizes the original lead was correct, but he had questioned the wrong person. It wasn't the passenger in the cab that was the killer, but the driver. He then "slips out for some air" and meets the Cabbie outside. The cabbie gives him the choice of coming with him and finding out how he got those people to kill themselves, or staying here, safe. Sherlock goes with him. The cabbie brings him to a university where he ushers him inside with his gun. He then sits the detective down and brings out two pills. Stating one pill is good, the other bad, the Cabbie says that Sherlock can choose whichever pill he likes, and then the Cabbie will take the other. Sherlock argues that it's chance not skills that would allow him to take the right pill, but the Cabbie disagrees, calling it a "chess game with one move." The Cabbie then passes Sherlock one of the pills and asks him if it's the good or the bad one. Sherlock deduces that for some reason, the Cabbie is killing people for his children. The Cabbie tells him of a 'sponsor' who gives him money every time he kills. He is dying, and the more money he has at the time of death, the more his children get after he is gone. After a few moments, Sherlock decided he will choose neither pill, opting instead to be shot. However, the detective grins when the Cabbie pulls the trigger, revealing that Sherlock is the first to realize the gun is a fake. With no more incentive to stay Sherlock turns to leave, but the Cabbie tempts him, asking if he knows which pill is the right one. Arrogant as always, Sherlock replies that he knows and chooses a pill, holding it above his head. The Cabbie then states that Sherlock will do anything to stop being bored, even risk his life. Just as he is about to take the pill, a gunshot fires and the Cabbie is hit. Sherlock demands to know if he picked right, but the Cabbie merely laughs. Angered, Sherlock throws the pill on the floor and steps on the bullet hole, demanding the name of the Cabbie's sponsor. The Cabbie screams the name 'Moriarty' just before dying. After giving his statement, Sherlock begins to describe the traits of the Cabbie's shooter to DI Lestrade: a marksman with strong moral principles and nerves of steel. However, halfway through the sentence, he spots John standing outside the police tape and realizes it was John who saved him. Quickly lying to cover for John, Sherlock states that he is in shock and needs to go home. He compliments John on his aim, a notable act as Sherlock never compliments anybody. He then reveals the man who earlier kidnapped John is in fact his brother Mycroft Holmes, who works for the government. Or as the government as he maintains. Finally John and Sherlock leave the crime scene grinning at each other. The Blind Banker Turning down a case to find a diamond, Sherlock was attacked by the messenger while John was at the supermarket. Successfully having defeated his assailant, Sherlock gets rid of him and hides the sword used against him under his chair. Upon John's arrival, Sherlock sees he lacks any groceries; the machine refused any kind of payment John tried. Asked for money, Sherlock tells him he has to go to the bank first, which is actually a big financial powerhouse. Once there, Sherlock meets his old university acquaintance, Sebastian Wilkes, who asks him for him. Just to put Sebastion off, Sherlock deduces from out-of-nowhere that he had made two trips around the world in the past month. Lying he heard it from Sebastian's secretary, Sherlock subtly tells John Sebastion's watch is two days behind, hence he crossed the International Dateline but forgot to alter it. Sebastian explains someone broke into their former chairman's empty office the night before and sprayed an apparently meaningless set of symbols on a wall and across the chairman's portrait. Shown the room, Sherlock demands to see the CCTV footage of the room; it shows the graffiti appearing between 11:33 PM and 11:34PM, which shows the one responsible is rather quick to escape being seen. Though declining money to discover the hole in their security, John quickly accepts it on their behalf as they need money to pay their bills. Sherlock examines the room, deducing the vandal had to come through the window and that a man named Eddie Van Coon is the only person who could see the graffiti from his desk. Leaving with John, he explains that Eddie is the only person who could see it clearly, hence it was a message to him; since he trades with China, he probably works at night and the message was intended for someone who worked at midnight. They go to Van Con's apartment and try buzzing him several times, only to get no response. Sherlock pretends to be Van Coon and tricks a new neighbor into letting him through their apartment so he can use the balcony to enter Van Coon's. He soon finds Van Coon dead in his room, shot by a SIG-Saucer P226 that is lying at his side. Calling the police in, Sherlock determines from the room's contents that Van Coon had just come back from a three-day vacation, probably very recent going by the odor of his laundry. Something was also tightly packed inside his suitcase. DI Dimmock regards it as a suicide, but Sherlock points out several holes in the theory - for one thing, someone appears to have inserted a black paper lotus flower into the victim mouth postmortem. Additionally, Van Coon was shot in the right side of his head, but the victim is left-handed (as evidenced by his habits and the layout of his furniture). He explains that Van Coon had been threatened (the spray-painted message from the bank is proof of this) and was waiting for the killer. He fired a shot at the killer when he came in, and the bullet went out the open window. Sherlock advises that they should check the bullet as it didn't come from Van Coon's gun. Sherlock informs Sebastion of Van Coon's death, but is berated for getting sidetracked. He next discovers a man named Brian Lukis, a freelance journalist, who was shot and killed in his locked apartment by a killer who can apparently pass through walls. Sherlock notes it's very similar to Van Coon's death. To Be Continued... Relationships He remarks in "The Hounds of Baskerville" that he has "no friends - just one", John. They live at 221B Baker Street, which they rent from Mrs. Hudson at a discounted rate because of Sherlock's help in getting her husband executed. In the Series Two finale, Moriarty looks to Sherlock and says "I will burn the heart out of you." ''It can be noted that Sherlock glances in John's direction. In the Series Two finale, upon Moriarty's threat, the three people that were to be killed if Sherlock did not comply were Lestrade, Mrs. Hudson, and John. John was the one that Sherlock needed to convince of his death; he called John, tears glistening, and tried to convince him that he was a fraud. Of course, John never believed this, even when the rest of the world did. John watched Sherlock as he plunged to the ground below, and Sherlock watched John secretly as John gave his respects to Sherlock's grave, desperately. Sherlock's relationship with John deepens throughout the series to the point where they are continuously mistaken for romantic partners. Mrs. Hudson, Sherlock's landlady, takes care of many of his needs, like washing his clothes and making food, even though she seems to do so begrudgingly. Sherlock in turn is very protective of her - even beating a man half to death, and then throwing him out of a window (several times), claiming he "fell out" after deducing that he had struck Mrs. Hudson. His relationship with DI Greg Lestrade began as one of necessity, as Greg acknowledges that some crimes cannot be solved by traditional police methods, and Sherlock needs someone to bring him in on cases. Over the course of the second season, it appears that Greg has become someone that Sherlock would consider a friend. Greg can be noted as one of the few at Scotland Yard that do not completely, upon the evidence that Sherlock was the one commiting crimes all along, that Sherlock was a fraud. Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's older brother, is the only other Holmes that has appeared on screen and the two have a rocky relationship at best. However, in A Study In Pink, Mycroft remarks to Sherlock that they have more in common than he (Sherlock) likes to think. There are many examples of this throughout the show, one being that both of them have exceptional brain powers and are able to deduce things quickly. However, there are also many examples of them being opposites of each other, seeing as Sherlock 'prefers to text' (as he says in 'A Study in Pink) and does so very frequently, while Mycroft, as Sherlock says, only texts when he can't speak, e.g. when he is at the dentists (seen in 'The Great Game'). Despite the unstable relationship, Sherlock and Mycroft are seen to pay attention and care about each other quite a bit, knowing about each other's personal lives, and with Mycroft asking Sherlock for favors. In return, Mycroft has his own way of keeping tabs on Sherlock, having a high level of governmental security placed on him and John. The two are seen to spend some time with each other, Sherlock having 'acquired' one of Mycroft's security cards, and when Mycroft finds out that he uses it, he is more exasperated than angry, despite Sherlock breaching a national security protocol in Mycroft's name. Mycroft later allows Sherlock access to the military base that Sherlock stole his identity to breach. (The Hounds of Baskerville) There has also been an anonymous "Mummy" mentioned at several times throughout the series, most commonly as a threat or complaint from the eldest Holmes brother, Mycroft Holmes. Sherlock runs his own website, The Science of Deduction which has been turned into a real website as a tie in to the show by the BBC. Personality Irene Adler deduces that he believes in a higher power which is himself, an assertion that Sherlock neither confirmed or denied. Like his literary namesake, Sherlock has a profound aptitude for deductive reasoning, which he invariably describes as ''observing and noticing, ''as opposed to merely ''seeing or knowing. Upon meeting a person, he will often "scan" them, taking in elements of their appearance and arriving at astonishingly accurate conclusions about their pasts and even their personality. John, while initially impressed by this skill, sometimes shows exasperation at this and berates him for showing off. However, he is not infallible as he admits "there is always something" that he misses or misinterprets. He mistook John's sibling (Harriet) for a male in the first episode due to her masculine nickname; Irene Adler completely defeated his attempts to 'scan' her by appearing naked, and he has (seemingly) mistakenly identified people as homosexuals on two different occasions (John Watson and Jim Moriarty). As shown in The Hounds of Baskerville, Sherlock possesses something that he refers to as his ''Mind Palace, ''a concept taken from a memory technique called "Method of Loci." John explains this as storing memories by plotting them on a map of a familiar location, and retrieving those memories by finding the way back to them, so as to theoretically never forget anything. Once he accesses this mental database, he can make associations between a wide range subjects and data to find the common denominator between them. To use this skill, he needs to have silence and space to himself, demanding that others in the room leave him alone so as to not interfere. Sherlock has shown skill in unarmed and armed combat, having the rules of the combat discipline Baritsu hanging over his bed, sometimes using his deductive reasoning to identify weaknesses of his opponents before he strikes them. However, John's military training seems to be superior to his, and he was soundly beaten by the professional assassin known as the 'Golem'. However, he did bring down an assassin with one blow, successfully disarm an American operative with a gun, and fight off a group of terrorists with a sword. Sherlock has a manipulative streak, and in multiple instances has used this ability to his advantage. For instance, in "The Blind Banker" he is trying to convince Molly, who has a crush on him, to let him see some bodies that she normally would not have the authority to take out. When he sees that his argument is a losing battle, he suddenly pauses and notices aloud that she changed her hair, saying, "It suits you better this way," which placates Molly enough to break the rules for him. In another situation, during "The Hounds of Baskerville," he needs to test out a drug and sneaks it into John's coffee. When John tries to say "I don't take sugar" Sherlock effectively uses the "kicked puppy" look to guilt John into finishing the drink. There are moments when Sherlock does not seem to realise that he occasionally upsets people with his accurate deductions about their personal lives, most often delivered quite tactlessly. When he pointed out to Molly that her boyfriend Jim (Moriarty) was gay (a disguise) he seemed surprised when she ran away upset, stating that he had just been saving her time, thinking it was kinder than letting her find out the hard way. Later, he apolgised for embarrassing Molly after deducing that she was dressed up for a man she liked, only to discover said man was himself (he also kissed her on the cheek - most likely an extention of the apology). Although most times Sherlock seems inhuman and cold, he does know how to appreciate or acknowlege. For instance, although he retorted to John that he did not care about astronomy, he later comments on the beauty of the night sky when investigating the whereabouts of the Golem. His sense of humor is almost normal and very sarcastic. Sherlock seems to find having to run away from pursuers, ridiculous situations and the stupidity of others amusing. He often makes quips at the expense of his brother, Mycroft, often remarking something similar to "Try not to start a war before I get home; you know what it does for traffic."; or John's question about meeting the Queen just as Mycroft enters, "Apparently yes." He dislikes the titles John gives the cases on his blog, finding "The Geek Interpreter" and "The Speckled Blonde" to be ridiculous. The most noticeable of his traits is the fact he is constantly bored by the lack of a case; he finds peace and quiet to be hateful. He has shot the wall of his flat repeatedly just to ease his boredom. Even if he's offered a case, he won't leave unless he rates it a 7 out of 10 or finds it interesting. While suffering from a lack of nicotine, he'll even go for a missing pet case, to the point that he'll even drag Lestrade into his moment of insanity. Although he seems to be a cold-hearted intellectual, Sherlock does have a kind, caring side, and although barely shown, it wins over many people. For example, when John's girlfriend Sarah was kidnapped by Chinese smugglers, Sherlock focused on saving her rather than catching the smugglers themselves, and comforted her gently while untying her, even though he had not seemed to like her much previously. We also see him in "The Hounds of Baskerville" comforting and successfully dissuading a man who was trying to commit suicide. Maybe partly because he still needed him to remember the exact sequence of events that led to his father's murder, and because he had experienced the same drug-induced terror. He is also very protective of those he cares about; when he deduces that an American operative punched the defenseless Mrs. Hudson, Sherlock ties him up and throws him out of the window (several times; so many he lost count) - "An American attacked Mrs. Hudson; I'm restoring balance to the universe." He also says that if Mrs. Hudson was to leave, "England would fall" (A Scandal in Belgravia). This shows he doesn't take her for granted as is often thought, and does in fact care deeply for her. However, he does seem to manipulate her into doing housekeeping despite her repeated protests. In the case of John, he could be considered even more protective, though he does drag John into many dangerous situations. John and Sherlock share a very unique relationship. Sherlock, clearly, cannot be considered a man with many friends. His attitude and cutting words often ward people away, but with John he makes an effort, and when upsetting him, apologizes, such as in "The Hounds of Baskerville". John is intelligent, though not as intelligent as Sherlock, lacking Holmes' observational skills and his unique insight into crime. John however does have great insight in his analysis of relationships, which Sherlock may dismiss - especially between Sherlock and Miss Irene Adler. He pipes up that Sherlock and Irene might be "looking for baby names" although he knows Sherlock would not understand this reference. He protects Sherlock as much as he can, such as in "The Blind Banker" when shots are fired, John immediately goes to help him although it is unclear how he plans to do this, and in "The Great Game" where he helps him fight the Golem. Sherlock doesn't generally appear to appreciate John's risks, but he does confess to John that he "doesn't have friends, just one" and amusingly never denies it when people assume incorrectly that they are partners. While this could possibly be because he doesn't understand or care about relationships, but others believe it is simply because he has feelings for John. Appearances Series One * A Study In Pink * The Blind Banker * The Great Game Series Two * A Scandal in Belgravia * The Hounds of Baskerville * The Reichenbach Fall Other * Unaired Pilot de:Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock) Category:Characters Category:Characters: Sherlock (2010) Category:Versions of Sherlock Holmes